WORDS BY ANNIE STUDHOLME, IMAGES SUPPLIED
Horses were indispensable on farms until the advent of motor-driven vehicles and tractors in the early 1900s. By the mid-1950s, most farmers had traded up to a different type of horsepower. Though horses are rarely used today, some high- country farmers still prefer to use them to move stock or on properties where the terrain is too tricky for four-wheel-drive vehicles, quad and motorbikes.
There’s no denying that equestrian continues to play a massive part in our rural communities, says Ruralco Chief Executive, Rob Sharkie. “Not only is it something to do off the farm that people enjoy, but it’s a great way of bringing people of all different ages together at many events around a common theme.”
For young people, being involved in equestrian sport, no matter the level teaches them many invaluable life skills, from learning about themselves to increasing self-awareness and discipline, all the while caring for an animal. “Underneath it all, it’s about growing them into great people,” says Rob.
As well as providing day-to-day support through our retail stores and suppliers, Ruralco is proud to sponsor many equestrian events and groups throughout wider Mid Canterbury to give back to the equestrian community.
It includes the Tinwald and Millcreek Pony Club shows and Ashburton A&P, as well as events run by the Ashburton Area ESNZ Show Jumping and Showhunter Group, Ashburton Dressage Group, Rakaia Pony Club and Methven Pony Club.
“Giving back is central to the co-operative’s ethos. We take a very long-term view that these youngsters involved in the sport now, collecting prizes, may well become our future clients,” he says.
From farm girl to international equestrian star
It’s a long way from winters spent working on her family’s sheep and beef farm at Kurow to the bright lights and immaculate all-weather arenas of the World Equestrian Centre in Ocala, Florida, for Ashburton show jumper Kimberley Bird.
Having just racked up her second big win on US soil in the FEI $37,000 Welcome Stakes 1.50m CSI3* in Tyron with her fiery 13-year-old Holsteiner mare Cera Cassina, Kim Bird knows she made the right decision.
Last December, the 26-year-old packed her bags and, together with ‘Beezie’, as she’s known at home, flew to the US on a whim to try her luck in one of the world’s most challenging show jumping environments. They initially planned to stay three months, but now Kim is working on setting up a base in Ocala, hoping to get a small team together with a possible tilt at the Olympics on the cards.
“I have no regrets. It was the best decision,” says Kim. “I was stuck in a bit of a rut with Beezie. We’d won the National Championships and a couple of World Cup rounds, but keeping her sound with the ground conditions in New Zealand was hard. I’d always thought she’d suit the competition in the US. I knew Beezie had to go overseas one way or another. It was a case of either selling her or we both go.”
New Zealand is just too small. To get competition experience and progress in the sport, your only real option is to go overseas. Having spent three months at the Dutch stable CSI (Concours de Saut International) producing and competing young horses earlier in her career, Kim knew the US was where she wanted to go.
COVID-19 initially stymied her plans, but through Beezie’s Australian breeder, Kerri Parker, she got wind of a bunch of Australians heading over to Florida in late 2021. Kim realised this was her chance. “I couldn’t afford to go. But I sold my other horses Roxette ECPH and all the ducks lined up. Within a month, Beezie was on the plane.”
Kim arrived in Florida, knowing no one. She caught COVID-19 within a week, and to top it off; her horse gear went missing on the flight. “It was an absolutely terrible start. I was extremely sick. It was hard just trying to muster enough energy to go and feed my horse. I don’t think it could have gone any worse. But because of New Zealand’s COVID-19 rules, I couldn’t have even gone home if I wanted to,” she smiles.
With the help of her new Australian friends, Kim managed to borrow gear. Beezie travelled surprisingly well but took time to settle. Two months after her mammoth journey from Ashburton via Auckland, Sydney and Chicago, followed by a 17-hour truck ride to Ocala, she started to feel like her old self again. “We ticked away slowly [at the beginning] and tried to read how she was going. We didn’t want to overstep her.”
As Kim predicted, Beezie thrived in her new surroundings. “She suits it over here. They ride a lot faster, and the tracks are a lot bigger and more technical.
“We’ve always known she has the potential—she has the most potential out of anything I have ever sat on—but the mindset is a problem. She has the jump but can be very opinionated and has a mind of her own – it’s been a battle! She tends to be overly cocky at the lower heights, but really comes into her own when the jumps are up at 1.5 to 1.6m,” says Kim.
“I did not doubt that she’d do well over here. She’s always had that drive and fight. As arrogant as she is, I wouldn’t change her—she’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea.”
Their first big win came at the end of March when the pair took out the $15,000 WEC Ocala 1.45m Jumper Classic, the final feature class of the 2022 Winter Spectacular Show Series at the World Equestrian Centre at Ocala. Kim produced one of only two clears in the first round before sealing the win with a clear jump-off in the fastest time against the clock.
The win was even more special as her parents, Kate and Alan Bird, and sister Jaimee were watching ringside. The Birds described watching Kim’s success as “incredible”. They were blown away by the whole set-up. “She rode well. I can’t believe how much her riding has developed from riding in New Zealand to riding over there. She has just gone next level,” says Kate.
Kim’s latest win in Tyron in a Grand Prix class of 60 horses, which included US jumping legends Kent Farrington and Beezie Madden, is the icing on the cake. “Honestly, it was crazy,” says Kim. “I was faster than Kent Farrington in the jump-off. It blew my mind. I am certainly playing it with the big boys now. But I feel like every time I step out in the ring; I am learning something.”
Though there are times when she finds the whole experience “surreal”, Kim’s 100 per cent committed to making it work. Living and competing in the US is ridiculously expensive, but the prize money is next level. It’s hard work, though. There is a lot of pressure to make it work, she says.
“I’ve been doing it on an absolute shoestring budget. I’ve just been fumbling my way through. I still actually can’t quite believe it. It’s been a crazy rollercoaster. I try not to think about it. I keep my head up and keep charging along, doing my own thing. But the support I received from my parents, family and friends back home has been amazing and meant so much.”
She was also indebted to the help of Australian Michelle Lang-McMahon, Maleah Lang- McMahon, Mia Smith, the crew at Redleaf and G&T Equestrian.
When Real Farmer caught up with Kim, she was about to board a plane home to New Zealand for a couple of weeks’ break before heading back to Ocala to get Beezie ready for the lucrative Winter Series at the World Equestrian Centre. “With Covid, we hadn’t let her fly. Now, I feel like we are really settled, and I’m really excited about the coming season.”
Kim hopes to compete Beezie at Spruce Meadows or in the Nations Cup events in the future, but for now, she’s trying not to think too far ahead.
It’s a far cry from the “feral” farm kid who refused to ride in a saddle. Kim had a busy childhood, growing up as the middle child of five children on the Bird family’s sheep and cropping farm at Chertsey, just north of Ashburton.
Mum Kate always had horses, and Kim and her younger sister, Jamiee, started on ponies at a very young age. “She has been amazing; she wanted to give us the opportunities that she never had, but I don’t think even she thought it would go this far,” says Kim.
It was all about “hooning around and having fun” initially. “I clearly remember galloping around the farm on my little Welsh pony, helping move sheep between our two blocks.”
But after joining the Rakaia Pony Club the sisters started competing in games, show hunter and eventing, and also enjoyed hunting. Kim represented Rakaia at the pony club teams’ competition, the Springston Trophy, an impressive five times, before deciding she wanted to pursue a career in show jumping.
She quickly made an impact on the South Island’s pony Grand Prix ranks with a team of self- produced ponies, including favourites Brenwood Stevie James and Showtym Image. In all, Kim produced four ponies to Grand Prix, all passed down to Jaimee, before Kim successfully moved on to hacks.
She was fortunate to be part of the South Island Young Rider team on four occasions, including competing in Australia. She also travelled to South Africa as part of a New Zealand under-15 team that competed in the International Classique against teams from South Africa and Australia.
The first horse Kim produced through to Grand Prix was the talented bay mare, Ngahiwi Summer, who she purchased as a reasonably inexperienced seven-year-old when she was just 16. They went on to have a wonderful partnership, successfully going through the ranks at Junior and Young Rider level, before Summer was retired to the broodmare paddock, reigniting Kate’s interest in breeding.
Kim has had Beezie since she was a five-year-old.
While she always knew that the mare had all the talent to take her to the highest echelons of the sport, the question was whether or not she’d be able to tame her wild temperament. It’s taken a lot of time and patience to get where they are today.
Though her parents have been a tower of support, stepping up as grooms and drivers, the family hasn’t had the funds to buy the girls ‘made’ horses. “It’s Mum’s passion too, but we could never afford horses that were already going – we made them all ourselves,” says Kim. In recent years they’ve bred several nice youngsters for the girls to produce.
Around five years ago, the Birds sold the Chertsey farm and bought a 675-hectare sheep and beef property in Kurow, which is managed by oldest son Nick. At the same time, they bought a 10-hectare block on the outskirts of Ashburton, from where the girls are able to base their horse operation, giving lessons and produces and sells horses to keep her team going.
A country girl at heart, prior to going to the US, when Kim’s not riding she can be found on the family farm. “I love the stock work.” During the winter months, Kim splits her time between Kurow and Ashburton.
Equestrians in the team at Ruralco
SOPHIE BURKIN (33), Marketing Executive
Sophie was born into a horsey family in the UK, where her mum was an event rider and produced young horses. Growing up, she attended pony club, winning eventing and dressage competitions, before specialising in showing, producing top show horses and ponies, and competing at a high level nationwide with success.
Sophie currently coaches several riders in the Ashburton area, as well as coaching at Mill Creek Pony Club. She is part of the Ashburton A&P Show Equestrian committee and enjoys supporting a number of local shows.
Though she doesn’t currently have her own horse, in February, she was kindly offered the ride on Dayboo Rockstar (Rocky) in the Saddle Hunter classes for a friend. Sophie is also competing The Golden Snitch (Komet) in led showing classes with hopes of getting him out under saddle as a Park Hack in 2023.
Sophie loves being around horses and believes it’s good for her well-being! Riding is a great way to unwind and relax. She enjoys getting out in the countryside hacking as much as she enjoys competing.
SALLY CHILDS (64), Customer Services Representative
Sally’s mum firmly believed that children on farms should learn to ride. Little did she know that 60 years later, Sally would be still involved with horses. At age five, she started riding on a former top-show pony. Her next pony was from the worst market in England—that’s how she learnt to stay on! This was followed by an Anglo Arab pony club eventer that jumped anything. She brought on young horses, hunted with the Belvoir Hunt Club, and evented in one, two and three- day competitions up to Intermediate level.
Sally’s equestrian community involvement needs no introduction. She has been involved with Ashburton A&P for nearly 30 years and has served as Secretary of the ESNZ Ashburton Showjumping and Showhunter Area Group for almost as long.
She is also willing to help at both the Tinwald and Mill Creek Pony Club’s and the Ashburton Area ESNZ Dressage group when needed.
Sally presently competes in low-level dressage and show hunter on Our Spice, aka ‘Spice’. An 11-year-old former racehorse who retired with just one win to his credit in the mud at Hokitika about four years ago. She’s had him for three years. She enjoys the challenge of bringing novice horses on and seeing improvement.
BEX GLASS (36), Retail Sales Assistant, Rakaia Store
Bex has had a lifelong love of horses. She finally got her first pony when she was eight years old. She attended Cave Pony Club during her younger years, competing across multiple disciplines, but her favourite was jumping.
For the past six years, she has been retraining and rehoming standardbreds that have finished their race careers which she finds rewarding. They’re clever, versatile horses that want to please. She currently has three standardbreds, aged from two to six years old, competing in hand and in ridden showing classes, as well as casual hacking.
Bex is lucky to be a brand ambassador for Excel Equine, who supply Performa ride tights as well as a range of products needed for day-to-day horse care. Through her role at Ruralco, she is involved in the local equestrian community by supporting local shows and providing insight into diets.
KATE WADDELL (25), Seeds Sales Coordinator
Kate has spent her life around horses, having grown up in a really horsey family. Her mum and five siblings all rode, and she started riding at age four. She has mainly competed in showing and up to Level 4 in dressage.
From the start of her riding career, Kate has always been involved in pony club. She represented the Tinwald Pony Club at the New Zealand Pony Club Dressage Champs for four years. She has also instructed and volunteered at their local competitions.
Kate is currently competing a friend’s Saddle Hunter, known as ‘Socks’ at home. Kate previously competed on the warmblood mare, Vollrath Witchcraft (Stella), which she had had for seven years, competing up to Level 4 dressage, but unfortunately, she lost her two years ago.
Kate loves the social side of the sport, meeting lots of people.
HANNAH GLASSEY (22), Finance Administrator
Hannah was born into a horsey family with a background in harness racing and horse breeding. Growing up, she attended pony club and shows. She competed in everything from round-the-ring hunter events to eventing and hacking.
Hannah doesn’t currently own a horse but she often helps friends with their horses and enjoys attending and supporting local competitions. She looks forward to having another horse and continuing to compete. She enjoys being around horses and the challenges they bring. Every day is different.